Transfer recommendations ahead of Gameweek 26 – Ollie Watkins & Jarrod Bowen justifiably popular

ERLING HAALAND'S (£7.5m) mega haul ensured Gameweek 25 was a high-scoring affair but focus now turns to Gameweek 26.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham and Aston Villa are the only five teams with two fixtures to fulfil and so Dream Team managers should probably shop around these clubs when weighing up their next transfers.

Allow us to put forward some recommendations.

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Ollie Watkins (£4.5m)

It wasn't that long ago gaffers were ditching the Aston Villa striker in their droves amid a downturn in form.

But Watkins' lean spell seems a lifetime ago now he's banked 60 points across his last six games via five goals and four assists.

The England international has gone to another level under Unai Emery and his season tally of 31 goal involvements is only bettered by Haaland after 25 Gameweeks.

On Saturday, Watkins and company travel to Kenilworth Road where Luton shipped six goals to Man City last time out.

Then on Thursday night, the Villains visit Ajax for the first leg of their Europa Conference League round of 16 tie - the Dutch giants are without a win in their last four league games.

At the time of writing, Watkins is the most-popular recruit ahead of Saturday's deadline and justifiably so.

Jarrod Bowen (£4.5m)

Tipping a player who just scored hat-trick isn't exactly a shrewd insight (might as well suggest Haaland!) but it's worth underlining West Ham's top scorer ahead of Gameweek 26.

Chasing lost points can be a futile endeavour but the Hammers' double header of Everton and Freiburg looks ripe for further returns.

Monday night's win over Brentford ended a miserable run for David Moyes' side and while it's probably sensible to remain somewhat unconvinced, it's simply a fact that the East Londoners play so much better when they're able to field their first-choice front three of Mohammed Kudus (£4.6m), Lucas Paqueta (£4.1m) and Bowen.

The difference between the latter's returns with and without his partners in crime is stark and it's no coincidence that the Brazilian's return from injury coincided with his side's win over the Bees.

Remember, Bowen is generously categorised as a midfielder in Dream Team despite the fact he's predominately played as a centre-forward this season.

This is a key factor in him being the top goalscorer (17 goals) in his position.

Only Watkins has been transferred into more teams than Bowen so far this week.

Pascal Gross (£4.5m)

Regular readers of our content are probably sick to death of us tipping Brighton's No13 so we'll keep this brief.

The German midfielder is simply one of Dream Team's most in-form players (45 points across last four Gameweeks) and also one of the game's most-passionate bonus point hoarders - only three players have earned more than his 40 this season.

The Seagulls travel to Fulham at the weekend before flying to the Italian capital to face Roma in the Europa League.

It's worth noting here that Brighton, West Ham, Liverpool and Aston Villa are the only teams with FOUR fixtures across the next two Gameweeks due to the scheduling of the European competitions.

Gross will play Nottingham Forest and Roma (both at home) in Gameweek 27.

Caoimhin Kelleher (£2m)

Liverpool's schedule is certainly one to target but injury concerns mean it's not all that clear which specific players are best placed to take advantage.

However, the Reds' Irish goalkeeper is surely a guaranteed starter all the while Alisson (£3.4m) is sidelined - the Brazilian isn't expected back until after the international break.

The 25-year-old bagged 19 points in Gameweek 25 and will be hopeful of healthy returns against Nottingham Forest and Sparta Prague in Gameweek 26.

Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) and Darwin Nunez's (£4.5m) absences against Chelsea and Southampton mean both have to be considered major doubts.

Barring an encouraging update from Jurgen Klopp, it's probably best to stay clear of the forwards for now.

At this juncture it's worth repeating our tip from last week in Luis Diaz (£4.1m).

In defence, Virgil van Dijk (£3.9m) and Conor Bradley (£3.2m) appear the best options - both pocketed 18 points each in Gameweek 25.

Lock in your transfers before Saturday's 2pm deadline!